Frederick grinnell



v(Ho Model.)

F. G'RINNELL. AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

N0.269,199.: Pqte'nted Dec. 19,1882.

WITNESSES: INVENTORI there is no fire.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK GRINNELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTING L JISH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,199, dated December 19, 1882,

Application filed May 31, 1880.

To all whom it may concern (No model.)

rectly on or near the fire automatically, and

Be it known that I, FREDERICK GRINNELL, only where, by reason of a fire, excessive heat ofthe city and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Fire Extinguishers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication.

This invention has reference to an improvement in' fire-extinguishers in which a system of open distributors or pipes perforated with holes are used; and it'consists in dividing the whole system into sections and providing each section with any suitable valve, held closed by means of wires or cords, provided with links, held together by fusible solder, which will melt at a temperature indicating a fire, and thus release the valve, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In buildings protectedby a system of open sprinklers two main difficulties exist. The first of these is that when the system is subdivided-into a number of parts each subdivision must be provided with a valve, to be operated by an attendant when it is desired to admit water to the subdivision from the main supply. The farther this subdivision is carried the greater must be the number of such valves; and no matter how such valves are arranged the great danger is that the wrong valve will be opened by the most experienced and coolest men, as is often the case at experimental tests with such asystem when Several large fires have demonstrated that in case of a fire the same difficulty exists. To simplify these arrangements it is usual to subdivide a building only into the respective floors, so that only few valves are used; but here we meet two other and most serious difficulties, the first of which is the damage by water at such parts where no fire exists, and the second dificultyworse than all the othersis that when the water is let on to such a floor or division the aggregate of all the outlet-openings is so great that the avater will barely run out of the numerous holes. There is not the least force to the water, and the quantity is so small that it can have no effect on the fire when divided over the large area. To concentrate this water diexists, is the object of this invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showingthe supply-pipe to a system of perforated sprinkling-pipes connected with the perforated pipes or open sprinkler, a valve placed between the supply-pipe and the perforated pipe, a bellcrank secured to the valve, one end provided with a weight and the other secured by arod,

cord, or wire. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same arrangement with the valve or cook placed above the supply-pipe. Fig. 3 is aview of a sheet-metal connecting-link, held together by means of a solder fusible at a low temperature,the solder being interposed between the two portions forming the link, markedin the drawings a: and y.

In the drawings, a represents the rising main, connected with the supply-pipe b. t

0 represents a valve or cook d, a perforated pipe. Instead of the perforated pipe, a number of perforated pipes, or pipes provided with open sprinklers, may be connected with the supply-pipe b by the valve 0, so that a space limited by the water-supply under sufficient force to extinguish a fire with certainty will be controlled by each one of the valves 0 c.

c is a bell-crank connected with the valvestem. One end is weighted with the weight f, so that the valve will be opened by the weight f. The other end of the bell-crank e is held by a wire, g, the other end of which is secured to any fixed object, which may be a wall-beam, or, as shown in Fig. 2, any fixture secured to the pipe (I. The wires gg are united by means of links made of metal united by a solder fusible at a low temperature, so that as soon as the temperature is raised suficiently above the normal temperature of a room to indicate that a fire has broken out the solder holdon under pressure, and when a fire breaks out the heat of the fire will release one or more valves and automatically turn on the water, so that no matter at what time the tire breaks out it will itself turn on the Water and prevent the spreading of the fire. By such an arrangement the water would be confined to the main and supply pipes, and any accidental leakage through the valves or cocks could be readily carried off by drip-pipes, thus reducing the risk from leakage to the lowest point. Manufacturing or other establishments now provided with openperforated pipes can thus be quickly and cheaply converted into the automatic system, and in all cases the whole available water force can be concentrated on the tire and its vicinity, the fire controlled when it is small, and extensive contlagrations prevented.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that my improved automatic fire-extinguishing system is composed of the following essential elements, to wit: distributers arranged in a series or independent subdivisions, each subdivision consisting of a pipe having one or more longitudinal series of perforations, or a pipe having a longitudinal series of open distributor-nozzles; a supply-pipe common to alloftheindependentsubdivisionsoftheseries; an independent automatic cock orvalve placec at theinlet or supply end of each subdivision that is, at the junction of such subdivision with the common supply; and independent means for each subdivision for holding the valve of such subdivision in its closed position until the temperature within the space occupied by such subdivision is raised beyond a certain limit.

I am aware that it is old to provide a main pipe with branches, each one of which is fitted with an open distributor-nozzle, the supply of 40 Water to each distributer being controlled by a separate valve. This arrangement I do not claim, as it differs materially from mine, it being my purpose, as I. have hereinbefore stated,

to control the supply of water to a number of distributer-nozzlcs (included in a subdivision) by a single valve.

Having thus described myinvention,Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an automatic fire-extinguishing system, the combination, substantially as before set forth, of the distributers arranged in a series of independent subdivisions, the supply-pipe common to all of said subdivisions, the independent automatic valves or cocks, one of which is located at the supply end of each of said subdivisions, and the fusible connections FREDERICK GRINNELL.

\ Vitnesses:

JosuPH A. MILLER, J. A. MILLER, Jr. 

